Nietzsche redefined philosophy as involuntary memoir and cultural genealogy

Evidence

Born in Röcken in Prussia in 1844, Nietzsche set out on his brilliant career in philology, but turned to writing idiosyncratic philosophical treatises and collections of aphorisms. He directed these against the pious dogmas of Christianity and of traditional philosophy alike: for him, both were self-serving veils drawn over the harsher realities of life. What was needed, he felt, was not high moral or theological ideals, but a deeply critical form of cultural history or ‘genealogy’ that would uncover the reasons why we humans are as we are, and how we came to be that way. For him, all philosophy could even be redefined as a form of psychology, or history. He believed that every great philosopher actually wrote ‘a kind of involuntary and unconscious memoir’ rather than conducting an impersonal search for knowledge. Studying our own moral genealogy cannot help us to escape or transcend ourselves. But it can enable us to see our illusions more clearly and lead a more vital, assertive existence. — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café, 63

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines Nietzsche’s genealogical method — his central contribution that philosophy is an involuntary memoir, not impersonal search.
• XREF: Connects to Sartre’s later claim that all writing is a form of self-discovery, and to Foucault’s genealogical method which descends from this. — connects to: Both poststructuralist strands derive their core from Nietzsche; The object of critical intellectual work is the present conjuncture as genealogy — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2: Identity…, 1196

Broader Connections

• The object of critical intellectual work is the present conjuncture as genealogy #expands (0.78) — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 1196